When this movie was released in 2002 I wasn't in a rush to
see it. The same holds true of its initial release to DVD. So when I got the
blu-ray copy in it took me a while to get around to it. By the end of the film
I realized I wasn't wrong in putting it off.
Diane Lane plays Connie Sumner, a suburban housewife and
mother who loves her husband Charlie (Richard Gere) and adores her son. On a
trip to New York she finds herself in the midst of a wind storm and bumps into
a young man named Paul (Olivier Martinez) carrying a load of books. They help
one another up and he offers her the use of his bathroom to clean up and
bandage a nasty scrape on her knee. This act of kindness ends up in flirtation
but nothing comes of it. Until later.
As she recalls the encounter, Connie ends up going back to
meet with Paul and an affair ensues. Connie finds herself caught up in the
moment, exhilarated by the secretive meetings and sexual involvement but at the
same time knowing that she's putting her life back home in jeopardy. It's not
that she's unhappy at home or that she's married to someone who treats her bad
or ignores her, but she feels something is missing.
Charlie becomes suspicious as Connie's attitude at home
changes. The head of a security firm it doesn't take much for him to find
someone to follow her and discover just what is going on. How he handles this,
what he does after he discovers the affair makes up the latter part of the
movie.
This movie just felt like something that the actors walked
through. I know during discussions in the extras (one of which is their
appearance on the CHARLIE ROSE SHOW) they talk about the depth of their
characters and the inner meanings of what transposes during the film, but I
never felt that there was the depth that they speak of during interviews.
Director Adrian Lyne has made a career out of sexually
charged films in which his characters often toss aside the morality of the day
to explore their more animal natures. 9 1/2 WEEKS, FATAL ATTRACTION, INDECENT
PROPOSAL and LOLITA are just a few and to me I see a director obsessed with his
own views of morality attempting to justify them rather than a film maker
intent on making a good movie. In truth I was never a fan of any of these films
and found them far too predictable. This one was the same with a slight twist
but one that was unsatisfying.
The film will find a number of viewers though. These will be
fans of Lane, a beautiful woman who I am certain fills the dreams and
imaginations of many lonely males in this world. They will rent or purchase
this movie based not on an interest in the film but because somewhere online
they discovered pictures of her nude connected to this film. If that's the only
reason to watch this then take my advice and don't bother.
Click here to order.
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